


Tale of the Mers

by TheArtLord



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Homestuck - Freeform, Merstuck, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-10
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 00:15:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5184992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheArtLord/pseuds/TheArtLord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Multi ship fic. Hopefully will be finished? Mermaids and such, multiple pairings. </p><p>When the world under the surface begins to fall apart, it becomes evident something drastic must be done.</p><p>{Based on a RolePlay, be warned}</p><p>-No Longer In Progress-</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

Dave Strider was, well, kind of a mermaid. He had awesome fucking mer Magic his kind fooled the land dwellers with and cod, he was just so cool. He was even part of the royal guard for the high blooded mers, as was his duty being in the Strider bloodline. Which meant he was pretty fucking badass and got allllll the bitches. All of them. 

Currently, he was outside the reef walls of his home, holding a thick and sturdy, dangerous spear by his side. He gazed around at the empty blue depths of the surrounding waters, fins flaring a bit as he listened for any odd sounds. 

His bright red eyes narrowed slightly and he slowly moved his long tail, keeping himself afloat just high enough so as not to brush over the coral beneath him. He could swear he heard someone. He wasn't really sure who or where they were, though.

He grit his sharp fangs and looked around again, tensing slightly as he pulled his spear in a defensive position. 

"Who goes there?"

John was currently hiding behind a rather large coral formation. He was a long way from home... and to be honest- he wasn't even sure there was a home to return to. At least not after the utter chaos that had just unfolded.

The blue-tailed mer shook his head, trying to clear out the troubling thoughts. His body became rigid after hearing a steady voice call out a "Who goes there?" 

'Shit. ShitshitshitshitSHIT.' He thought frantically to himself, his bright blue eyes flicking around the reef bed, searching for a better hiding spot. 

Right now, John had no idea if he was a stranded in an alley or enemy mer territory.

Dave growled softly under his breath, knowing well there was an intruder close by, though he wasn't sure why. His home hadn't been attacked by anyone or anything besides the land dwellers recently, but all they did was catch their damn fish. 

The red tailed mer huffed through his clean set of gills, placed precariously on his neck, and bubbles floated up and away from them as he did. He slowly started to move forward, eyes locked on a bit of coral from which he'd seen a flash of blue- the only bluebloods in his city were Vriska, Eq, and their family, and none of them bothered with the guards. So who the fuck was this?


	2. Welcome to Beforus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Background information and more character introduction. Welcome to Beforus, Mr. Egbert.

John took a hesitant breath. He could feel the slight vibrations as the mystery mer grew closer... at least, he guessed it might be a guy.  
He did have a rather deep voice…

John quickly tucked his blue tail up and under him to shield it's delicate scales from harm… just in case there happened to be a fight. Baring his sharp claws and readying to show his fangs was the best he could do in the weapons department... 

"Don't… Don't come any closer!" He warned, distraught with the fact that idea that the merman hadn't seen him had even existed. Of course he was going to be seen. 

Dave hesitated, pausing for a moment just before he was close enough to peek over the coral. His eyes narrowed slightly and his fins flattened against his head, showing he felt threatened.

Slowly, he pushed himself further, spear held in front of him protectively. 

"Show yourself." He ordered, peering down at the cluster of coral, seeing a blueblood mer curled up behind it, trying to appear threatening. Damn, he could've snorted with laughter. How amusing, the kid thought he could hurt one of the royal guard.

"J-Just... leave me alone!" John yelled back at the spear-wielding mer. He'd noticed the boy trying to swim up and around the cluster of colorful coral. He felt his fins flare up and let out a soft hiss in warning.

His blue eyes darted around the sandy bank for a second gaze- this time searching for a weapon. His eyes locked onto a rather pointy stick… Hm. Uncurling and flapping his long and shiny tail, John quickly made his way over to the object, which he believed had presented him with another chance at winning.

Dave raised a brow when the mer decided to shoot off and arm himself with a stick, a bit amused with the somewhat childish behavior. 

He suppressed a deep sigh and gently pushed himself up a bit, carefully distancing himself between the crazy kid. 

"Why do you approach this land?" 

Ah, what a weird fucking line to say. But, it sounded more official. You learned to just roll with it. 

John let out a sigh of relief as the merman seemed to put distance between them. 

He gave the boy a once over- his eyes catching on the mer's beautiful red tail. John hadn't seen any redbloods before... not a single one had lived in his father's kingdom. Some even thought they were a myth. 

"I... uh...... my kingdom was attacked..." He answered quietly, his eyes now glued to the sandy floor. 

John wondered, perhaps his father and friends had managed to escape the horrid wreckage...?

Dave paused, staring at the blueblood quietly, as if expecting him to elaborate. He hummed softly in thought, subtly drifting closer. Hadn't he heard about an attack from one of the messengers earlier?

"..... Are you from the Alternian city, then?"

He cocked his head to the side slightly, fins flicking gently.

John glanced up at merman, his bright blue eyes locking on the guard's red curious ones. He quickly looked away.

"Yeah... I don't really know what happened. One second it was all peaceful, like normal days. Everyone was happy and pleasant and the next there was blood and bodies everywhere."

John blinked a few times, trying to stop the overwhelming force that urged him to cry. His tense shoulders loosened slightly, and his fins fluttered loosely. 

John made sure to keep a good grip on the sharp stick, though. Who knew if this merman could even be trusted?

Ah, fuck. Well, Dave instantly knew the cause of that trauma. Some foreign mers called her the Sea Witch. The not so foreign? Well, they called her 'Her Imperial Condescension', or 'Condesce', for short. No doubt this was her and her Daemons’ doing.

Dave slowly drifted down, making sure to hold his spear- but not threateningly- and reached a careful hand out, prepared to back off.

"Well, blueblood. Welcome to Beforus."


	3. The Orphaner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction to Dualscar, and foreshadowing. 
> 
> Gosh, John. You're so nervous.

John looked up at the guard, whom seemed to be showing a little less hostility now.

"B-Beforus? I've already swam this far from home...?" He asked himself quietly. Slowly, he eased his sorry excuse for a weapon back onto the ground and swam hesitantly up to meet the red-tailed mer. "

My father spoke nicely of this kingdom's ruler... I think they had a partnership. I'm not entirely sure. Could you take me to them?" John asked. 

'Maybe this kingdom's ruler will be able to tell me more of what happened...?'

"Yeah, Dual's fine an’ all. He's just got a teeny bit of a temper," Dave murmured, mostly to himself, an image of Beforus's ruler- Dualscar Ampora, second highest blood on the Hemospectrum- appeared in his think pan.

He sighed, fins flicking a bit. He waved the other mer closer and began to swim back to the reef wall, heading straight for a hidden entrance.

John followed close behind, taking in the colorful coral and all the plant life. Alternia was placed in too cold of waters for one to even think about having plant life like this; it was kind of amazing to look at.

He watched as the guard passed the front gates and made his way over to a small cluster of rocks... 'Hidden entrance, maybe?' John thought.

"Oh... by the way, I didn't catch your name?" He said, trying to make conversation with the mysterious merman.

Dave kept swimming forward at an eased, slow pace, relaxed. He glanced back over his shoulder, carefully pushing through the protected hole in the coral, eyebrow raised. 

"Strider. Dave Strider." 

He shrugged and moved aside once he'd made it across, waiting for the second mer to swim inside.

John cautiously made his way through the opening, following his guide. He swam a little farther in before turning around to face this... Dave... 

"Why didn't we just go through the front gates?" John asked, a little curious as to why they needed all this secrecy.

Dave carefully pushed a large rock in front of the opening, grunting softly with effort. He brushed off his hands when he finished, wrinkling his nose slightly in distaste. 

"We closed off the front gates two days ago. Condesce is back and we can't risk anythin’, catch my drift?"

He looked over at the other, not all that happy go lucky at the mention of the Witch.

John looked at Dave, puzzled. 

"Who is the Condesce?" 

He asked curiously; following the other merman as he led him farther through the tunnel and finally into a light-filled hallway. 

"Does she have something to do with why my kingdom was destroyed?" John asked, adding to his previous question. 'Dad never mentioned her before... did he even know, or...?'

Dave paused, nodding his head from side to side in thought.

"Ya know. Condesce. Imperial Condescension. Miss big bad Sea Witch? Surely you've heard." He furrowed his brows, looking back at him. 

He sighed and continued down the stone carved hallway, lit by bioluminescent algae and creatures that swam around peacefully, the large entrance at the end leading into Dualscar's throne room of sorts.

John shook his head to disagree. 

"I've... never heard about her. Maybe, no one in my kingdom wanted to mention her? Like, maybe it was taboo to speak her name... that'd make sense. Sounds like something my dad would instruct people to do. What doesn't make sense though, is that wouldn't he even mention her existence to me." John babbled nervously. 

A silence fell around the two, and John took it as his cue to shut up.

"Sorry... you probably don't even know the answer to half of my questions, and here I am just chattering on and on... jeez, I'm such an idiot sometimes,” the boy muttered, his blue eyes reflecting some of his aching pain. 'If they're dead...'

Dave nodded slowly as he listened to the babbling male, a bit confused. 

"I was always told Alternia was a rather secure area. I don't think the Condesce ever actually hit you guys till now." He frowned slightly at that, approaching the dimly lit room. 

"Now, quiet,” he whispered, slowly swimming into the room and stopping before a shadowed throne, a prominent figure sitting stiffly inside its cold embrace.

Dave curled his tail slightly and leaned forward in representation of a bow, clearing his throat. 

"Dualscar.."

John smiled, his face slightly strained, but he was happy that Dave had at least listened to him. He hovered in the hall as Dave bowed before a tall and shadowy figure. 

The merking sent shivers down John's spine and he stared-no, marveled- at the man's fierce aura. 

Quietly the blue-scaled mer followed the guard into the throne room, bowing as well out of sheer respect for the powerful king.

Dave glanced at the smaller mer out of the corner of his eye, thankful he had some decency, unlike some Alternians he'd met.

The king cleared his throat and slowly leaned forward, the rich purple blood flaunting itself in his eyes and wealth, giving more of an intimidating look than anything. 

"Strider. What do you bring me?"

John bit his lip nervously, he hadn't really been in contact with other royals before. His father had  
never permitted him to leave the kingdom. Even so, he made sure to study up on the surrounding regions... and who were important to keep close. Dualscar was definitely one you didn't want to anger,or so he’d heard. 

John gulped, straightening out of his bow and flicked his bright blue eyes up towards the king of Beforus. 

"My name is John Egbert, the only son and heir to King Egbert, ruler of Alternia. Just yesterday, we were attacked- I'm afraid I'm unsure if my father and friends were able to escape. Please excuse my unannounced visit."

Dave straightened as well, listening to the other mer intently, though his red eyes were cast forward as he was trained to, face lacking of emotion. He nodded slowly, though, as 'John' told the short version of his story. 

Dualscar shifted a bit in his throne, adjusting the large cape he'd adorned to show his regality. 

"You, you are the son of Egbert?" 

He leaned back again, humming in thought. 

"She's back, isn't she?” It was a rhetorical question, “Yes, we heard of her just two days ago. And I had thought we'd ridden of her long ago," he murmured and sighed, then shook his head, displeased.

"Strider, take our guest to one of our special quarters. He'll be staying for a long time, if my interpretations are correct."

John's eyebrows raised in surprise. 

"Thank you so much... your majesty,” he replied, bowing again before following the guard out of the hall. 

He sighed out of relief; the pressure of messing up in front of the king had really been weighing on him. 

John glanced ahead at the Strider. 'Dualscar really seems to trust him, huh... and what's all this about the Condesce? Seems like I'll be doing some research tonight!'


	4. The Sea Witch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Get ready to meet Mama Condy, face to face. 
> 
> Dave Strider==> Meet Sea Witch

Dave led John back down the hall and outside of the cavern like rooms, swimming out into clear water. There was a bowl shaped wall of reefs surrounding the city, the surface up incredibly high, shining the smallest bit of light down on them. The city was instead mostly lightened with bioluminescence, and the mers had freckle-like spots on their bodies that gleamed in the darkness. 

"C'mon." Dave murmured, slowly swimming towards one of the reef walls, holding multiple caves- which were each guarded by the royal soldiers. He nodded to one mer in acknowledgement and swam forward easily, leading John to one of the lower caves. 

"Here you are."

"Thanks..." John mumbled, and swam inside. He noticed how all these other mers had freckle-like spots that glowed. Even Strider had bioluminescent dots scattered on his arms and chest that pulsed a vibrant red. John however had no such spots- the only thing that glowed in the dark were his vibrant blue eyes. Alternia wasn't built into a bunch of caverns so you didn't need too much light to see.

The prince glanced around at the brightly colored reef walls and the many lit up caverns, finding it was big change for him.

"Beforus sure is colorful... it's really nice here, too. The water is super warm," John added, smiling slightly at Dave. 

"Thanks for helping me so much today..."

Dave shrugged, nonchalant. 

"It's no big deal. It's my job."

He nodded silently, quietly noting John's lack of bioluminescence, a bit confused at that. Eh. Whatever. Alternians were very different from the Beforeans. 

"I'll be outside the wall if you need me,” he informed quietly, starting to swim out into the open waters again with a soft sigh.

John nodded along as Dave explained a few things. "Yeah... yeah, I'll keep that in mind,” he muttered, plastering a smile on his face. 

The shadows of the cave wall sliding over his distinct features were muddling them, as Dave swam back towards the gate. John frowned, realising that he was now alone with his thoughts. Thoughts that mainly consisted with the destruction of his city and the slaying of his friends... John sighed, swimming farther into the illuminated cave.

Dave slowly drifted back to the hole and slipped through, careful to keep it open for when he could return to his own dwelling. 

He sighed softly and leaned back against the wall slightly, looking up at the glimmering surface. He bit his lip, frowning slightly. He swore there was something up there.... A dark shadow sped across the surface to fast to catch, and his eyes widened in surprise. 

Shit. 

Dave spun on his tail and shot right into the hole and into the city once more, racing towards Dualscar's quarters, alarmed. No doubt, that was the shadow he was familiar with. Could the Gl'bgolyb be nearby, too?! Was there an army of Orcas and Daemons waiting for them to let their guard down?! 

Dave rushed passed the other mers, eyes wide in terror.

"Dualscar!!!!! The Condesce!!!" 

He plummeted into the dimly lit room, only to find his ruler had disappeared. Dave frowned, heart racing. He never left the throne room this early. 

"Hello??"

John sighed, the dark and secluded cave was doing nothing to help his rocketing nerves. 

"Time to get some fresh water..," he murmured, turning and high tailing it out of the looming cave. It wasn't that his new home was uncomfortable... it was just really different. The blue blood just wasn't sure if he was ready to accept the reality that had been placed before him. 

Swimming lazily about the reef city, Egbert found himself wondering what other cool things Beforus held.

Dave, on the other hand, had his own problems to deal with.

He was looking around the dark room, worried. He gulped and bit his lip, then paused. It was wayyy too silent in here. And it was darker than usual. When he looked around again, he saw that the algae had been taken off the walls, casting the room in darkness- besides the light of his freckles. Oh. 

Oh fuck.

His light. 

He flattened his fins against his head, hearing a low, feminine chuckle from behind the throne, before a pair of gleaming fuchsia eyes fluttered open and the slitted pupils focused on his glowing presence. He swallowed hard, tightening his grip on his spear.

Shit shit shit. 

The shadowed mer before him chuckled softly and crawled over the throne, her own pink freckles glowing dimly, though her large masses of hair covered most of the light. 

"Oh, seems I've found one of the Striders, Hm? That red would look just lovely in one of my brews." 

She cackled and launched forward at him, claws outstretched. Dave flung himself backwards and yelled out in terror, throwing his spear and speeding away, not wanting to take time to see if the weapon met its mark. 

"THE SEA WITCH!!!! EVERYONE GET OUT!!!"

John was just flipping his tail, idly swimming along, when suddenly crowds of mers began to swim frantically from their homes- many being shot down from weapons thrown by shadowy figures. John let out a startled yell as a young mer was killed right before his eyes- it was like Alternia all over again. His shocked blue orbs widened considerably as thousands of Daemons flooded into the city through the front gate. 

'What happened to Dave?' He thought, before darting off towards the crowded back exit, skillfully dodging people and objects.

Dave shot out of nowhere and bumped and crashed into multiple mers, terrified, despite his training that was supposed to teach him courage. Oops. 

He shouted warnings and turned to watch as the Witch burst out from the halls, her golden 2x3 trident spearing through innocent mers, though it was obvious she was going for a Lowblood fish kabob. 

Dave shuddered and swam to the back gates, before the horror faced him clearly and he saw swarms of glowing, lifeless eyes, shadows grouped outside the walls. 

Fuck shit fuck fuck fuck okay why was this happening?! Where was Dualscar?!

John let out a startled gasp as a Daemon latched himself to his arm, shocked by the sudden, almost freezing contact. The creature let out a guttural growl as the prince tried desperately to shake the evil thing off. It plunged a short dagger into his arm before sliding the weapon from the cut; letting go of John completely as he turned to find another mer to latch onto.

Egbert hissed in pain, as his precious blue blood leaked from the fresh wound. He cupped a webbed hand over the knife slash and swam around in a dazed circle, trying to reorganize himself. He watched as a female mer was stabbed to death a few inches away- her Indigo blood spilling and mixing with the salty liquid around them. He heard screaming, then quickly realised it was himself, terrified, though his voice only was drowned by the countless wails of agony surrounding him. Where was his father when he needed him?

Dave heard screaming from everywhere, and it hurt, it hurt so bad to hear it. He just wanted to curl up and die. 

He looked around at the scene before him, hearing the massive army of the Daemons begin to slam the gates, trying to get in. Dave whimpered slightly and backed away, unsure of how he could save anyone. Then…

He darted up into the free waters and looked around for a moment, before heading right back down into the mass of suffering and removing the weapons from a fallen soldier, arming himself. 

Okay, he could do this.


	5. Land Ho!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Under the sea, it's a terrible place to be. You could say everything's better down where it's wetter but that just sounds sexual and I'm done here

John continued to scream for a few seconds before realizing... that, in fact, was getting him absolutely nowhere. 

He clamped his mouth shut- his fangs clacking together painfully. The merman took a few deep breathes, trying to collect himself, before locating an injured Daemon. He pried the dagger off of the still-fighting enemy. 

"You son of a…!" he yelled, letting his words trail off; as he remembered what his father said about cursing. John left the creature to squirm helplessly around... he certainly couldn't /kill/ it.

Dave took the new spear and growled, heading straight into the furious waters of the suddenly erupted battle. He thrust his spear forward at a Daemon and it let out a fierce shriek of pain as the weapon went right through the creature's chest, leaving it spasming as unnatural gushes of different colors bled from the wound. 

Dave growled and pulled the spear away, moving along quickly. He bumped right into a blueblood and shook his head, about to move again, when he realized it was the John kid from earlier. 

"Egbert?! What are you doing out here?!"

John cried out as a figure slammed him from behind. He swiveled around his small dagger whipping around to face the new opponent.  
'It's Dave... oh my god, it's Dave...'  
John let out a strained laugh, relieved that he was saved from having to battle one of the fierce Daemons. 

"I... needed some space..." he muttered, finally choking out a response to the guard's question. His blue eyes reflected the fear that was trapped behind those words- 

"What's going on, Dave?"

Dave shook his head, clearly seeing the shock that had developed in the blueblood from the fierce battle. 

"Sea Witch. We need to get you out of here, or there might not be anything left for Alternia." He murmured, grabbing John's arm and quickly pushing himself and the smaller upward with quick thrusts of his tail. 

He rocketed up to the surface and panted, head bobbing above the water. He breathed in deeply through the gills on his neck, dragging John with him as he moved. 

"T-There's... One place.. They can't find you."

There really wasn't any negotiation in the matter- and before John knew it Dave was practically dragging him towards the surface.

***

Once John's head had breached the churning water, he momentarily panicked. He heard that land dwellers were common here... what if they were spotted?

"Dave.. what if some /people/ see us... I mean, like, humans...?" 

Egbert nervously glanced around, looking for ships. 

"Where are we going, anyways?" He asked once he realised they were still moving.

Dave panted softly, trying to swim further towards the shore, while keeping his neck covered for the sake of breath. It was soooo uncomfortable to breathe in through chest gills. 

Ugh. 

He bit his lip, face distorted into a deep frown. "Hopefully, we can get to land before they see us."

John let out a startled screech, and abruptly pulled away. "GET TO LAND??!" The blue blood's bright blue eyes widened in shock. 'What was he thinking... they're humans... they'll kill us…’ 

John thrust out his tail- quickly backing away from Strider and his dangerous ideas. 

"Anyways... where is Dualscar... what about the kingdom? We can't just leave all those merfolk!"

Dave scowled and swam back to him, eyes narrowed. "I don't know where Dualscar is. And if we try to help, we'll just be part of the massacre. Have you never heard of magic, Egbert?!" He scoffed and grabbed his wrist, pulling him towards the shore.

John looked confused for a second, letting Dave lead him as he swam along behind. "Magic?" He asked, curiously- staring at the blond mer swimming rapidly towards the shore. 

"What do you mean... magic is just a myth... Something for young mers to fantasize about?" He muttered.

Dave paused, glancing back at John for a moment, bewildered.

"What kind of holed up city did you live in?!" 

He looked forward again, slowing down as they reached the shallow waters of the ocean, the sand only a few feet in front of them. 

He stopped and silently got to work, using a small, sharp rock to slice open his palm and let it bleed, making sure to allow his tail to become covered in the translucent substance. 

"Copy me." He murmured, swallowing hard as he began poking a line of punctures down the length of his tail, as if tracing a line to split it in two.

John stared at him curiously, and after a few more seconds of observation began to copy. He glanced at the sandy floor below locating another sharp-looking rock. 

He quickly cut his palm-wincing at the obvious pain. Bright blue blood slid down his hands and into the salty water surrounding them- mixing with the already lingering red. Egbert then continued by slicing little holes down his beautifully scaled tail. 

"What now?" He asked, the stinging from the pain causing slight tears to form in his eyes.

Dave sighed shakily, taking the wet, bloody rock and throwing it on shore. He started to drag himself over to it, heaving himself onto the sand.

He cringed as his tail began to split and his skin faded to a more human tint, red eyes becoming instead brown. "Fuck.."

John didn't like this at all, "Dave... Dave, what are you doing? Your tail, it's changing? Wait, are those legs?!"

He yelled in shock. He began clambering up after the red mer trying to help him back into the water. Suddenly, Egbert collapsed on the sand as excruciating pain flooded up and down his tail. Tears ran down his face and they quickly turned from blue to translucent in an instant.

"What... is happening?" John choked, the pain suddenly subsiding. His tail felt really weird, and the freezing land air nipped hard at his body. Wait- HE WAS BREATHING AIR? 

"WHAT THE....!?"

Dave shook his head, straining a bit as his gills and fins sunk back and disappeared. He cringed, his form transforming painfully.

"S-Shut it! Do y-you want to be c-culled?!"

John looked over at Dave- his normally bright blue eyes now a duller shade. His fins moved as they rearranged into small fleshy human ears. His gills also sinking into his pale human skin...

His fangs grew shorter and he cried out as a few of his teeth fell out. John heaved-quickly spitting them out; marveling at the red blood that followed the white pieces. That's when he noticed the lack of webs that normally bound his fingers, the now regular-looking raven-haired boy wiggled his fingers freely. "What DID you do, Dave... why would we be culled?"

Dave groaned in exasperation and exhaustion, panting. 

"Do you really think land dwellers are going to be so kind to intruding Mers..?" He hissed, his blood color hardly changing besides becoming a little less bright. He licked his lips, well aware of the absence of his fangs. 

"C'mon.." He bit his lip and started to push himself up, hardly able to use the legs he now had.

John shivered, his new and frail body currently curled into a small ball. He felt like crying, instead he just picked himself up and tried standing. After falling only about a million times- he was able to get the hang of taking a few steps at a time. His arms clung to his bare body- not used to the stinging wind... it had only been about twenty minutes and John was already missing his aquatic home. 

"Do land dwellers really hate us that much?" John asked as he glanced over at Dave- his eyes sliding over the stunning transformation from merman to boy.

"N.. No." He breathed heavily, slowly and carefully stepping towards a house perched upon the rocky cliff in the distance, biting his lip. 

"They don't. They don't even know we exist. Now come on. I know a couple people who can help us." He pointed up to the house, biting his lip.

John looked back at the lapping waves longingly, regretfully making his way up a small trail, following the now human Dave.

"How have humans /not/ noticed us yet... I mean I know the ocean is big and all... but really? Anyways, who even lives there? Have you... maybe... been on land before?" 

John asked curiously, babbling a little to help keep the stressful thoughts away.

Dave shrugged, wincing slightly after he did. 

"No, but there's a former mer who lives up there as a human. He stays close in case he needs to come back, though nobody actually knows what he is."

John listened curiously as Dave explained. "A former mer? You mean... he /likes/ being a human?" Egbert asked, amazed. 

The two new humans reached what looked like an entrance to the house? John watched as Dave knocked three times on the thick door. There was a few clattering sounds from behind the wood and suddenly the door sprang open and a figure stood in shadows before them. 

John noticed that his eyes weren't as good as they were in the water- in fact he was having a hard time focusing on anything.

Dave sighed in relief, seeing the familiar face standing before them. Though, he was obviously concerned, considering the instant frown that curved his lips was any hint. 

"Dave? Come in, has anyone seen you? What's going on?" The taller male frowned, worried.

Dave sighed, collapsing right onto the floor. 

"Just.... Help us out, then I'll explain, okay, Cronus?"


	6. Mers, Meet Some Humans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that you've met Cronus, why not add a ship or two?
> 
> All aboard the Cronkri train woo woo

John hovered in the doorway for a few second, a little unsure before following Dave inside. The guard collapsed to the floor and John realised how tired he, himself, was... 

"Uh... hi, I'm John. John Egbert. It's nice to meet you." He muttered, introducing himself to this 'Cronus'.

"Sorry for the intrusion." He stated politely, as he let out a happy sigh. The house was /really/ warm and it felt great on his bare skin.

Cronus nodded, eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"... Yeah. Nice to meet you John. But what happened? Why are you here?" 

Dave groaned, looking up at the older male from where he lay on the floor.

"Sea Witch. She's back, and she's destroyed Alternia and... Now Beforus." 

Cronus looked startled, his blue eyes wide and scared. 

"What?!!?"

John sighed, another reminder of what had happened to his home. 

"It's true... my dad's kingdom has already been destroyed. Now, Dave and I barely escaped Beforus..." he muttered, his blue eyes glancing over at the Strider who was currently sprawled on the floor. 

John placed a hand on the wall closest to him- trying to steady his unbalanced body.

Dave nodded, closing his eyes, just as he heard an unfamiliar, tired voice call out.

"... Cronus? Who's in our house? It's five in the morning.." The mysterious person groaned and walked inside, before stopping abruptly. 

"... Are these... Your people..?" He whispered. Dave's eyes flicked open and focused on the short human standing in the hallway. 

"Heyyyyy."

Kankri glanced first to the blond boy sprawled on the ground, second to his new and dear friend Cronus- who was sporting a giant frown, and third to a very upset raven-haired boy who was currently leaning against one of their walls. 

"Would all of you leave the doorway and come sit down in the living room. The two of you look like you are about to pass out..." he murmured, ushering the standing boy into the living room while Cronus helped the blond one up. 

Kankri then disappeared down the hallway- searching for some clothes that could fit the two new visitors.

John sighed as the new human sat him down on a rather plush beige-colored couch. 

"Thanks..." he mumbled but the mysterious shortie was already gone. "Does he... know we're mermaids?" Egbert asked, glancing up at Cronus... the former mer almost resembled... 

"Wait! Are you related to Dualscar??!" John exclaimed.

Cronus chuckled nervously, glancing over at John as he settled Dave down on the couch.

"Heh, Uh... Yeah. I'm his son." He shrugged, looking as though he'd rather cut his arm off than continue talking about his past. 

Dave frowned, eyes half lidded. "Tha's Kankri, right? The kid you talked about a long time ago?"

Kankri returned carrying a few pairs of shirts, sweats and underwear.

"I guessed that you might not have had a chance to rest yet, so I brought sleeping clothes." 

He passed one of Cronus's shirts and pants to the blond, "I am sorry if they are too big on you..." 

He turned towards the boy with blue eyes he handed one of his own shirts and sweats to him. 

"Here, they might be a little too short... but we seem to be pretty close in size and I think you will be alright for today, at least." 

Kankri glanced at Cronus, noticing the sad look in his eyes. " What should I call you two, and about how long will you boys be staying with Cronus and I?"

John glanced around at Kankri and Cronus and how they were dressed... then watched Dave put the boxers on first. John slipped on the maroon underwear- then quickly pulled on the gray sweat pants. The pants fit really well, they were just a little too short and left a little of his ankles bare. 

John then quickly pulled the red night shirt over his raven locks. He sighed, glancing over at Dave and then letting his eyes roam over the funny room. It was similar to a merperson's in some ways. He was starting to feel a lot warmer now that he had clothes on. 

"Thank you, very much... and my name is John Egbert! It's nice to meet you!"

Dave sighed, seeing John's unnaturally friendly exposition. Huh. He sighed and finished covering himself up, new legs aching and tired. 

"Yeah, so Uh... I'm Dave. Nice to meet y'all but I'm kinda tired and would rather sleep off the horrors of the day right now than engage in conversation. Okay?" He sighed and rubbed his eyes, frowning. 

Cronus sighed, rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully. 

"Yeah, uh... I think we've got an extra room an all..." He frowned and disappeared down the dark hall, before returning once more a minute later. 

"Yeah. Only one bed, though. Hope you don't mind sharin. And uh... Sorry about the lack of coons."


	7. Time for some Drama Mama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some dramatic and hint-y scenes. More Cronkri ftw

John nodded along as Dave suggested the idea of going to bed. 

"I'm sure we'll be able to manage, right Dave?" The raven-haired boy asked as a wide grin spread across his face. He stifled a yawn and rubbed his sagging blue eyes... he could see the sun rising through a window. Damn, it was almost morning.

Kankri gestured for Dave and John to follow Cronus and himself down the hall. They reached the guest bedroom and dropped the two boys off there. In the room there was a closet, dresser, desk and chair, a king bed with two end tables, and an adjoining bathroom.

"I hope you guys get some sleep. Cronus and I will try to be quiet as we go about our everyday activities. Sleep tight!" 

And Cronus looked pretty damn smug after Kankri had said that last line, lips quirked up in a smirk. 

"Everyday activities? Hehe, wouldn't mind getting in on some a tha-" He was hushed with the stern look on his partner's face and dropped it, but not without a soft snicker. The couple left the room and closed the door, allowing the boys at least some quiet. 

Kankri sent Cronus a dangerous look. "Not another word!" He mumbled on their way out of the boys’ room. 

Dave groaned softly and flopped right onto the bed, managing to take up the entire mattress as he did. 

"Kay then. Night, Prince Eggbutt." He yawned and stretched, relaxed.

John let out an annoyed tsking sound. "Dave... Dave... you have got to make some room for me. Where am I supposed to sleep?" The also very exhausted boy whined. The small and impatient boy rolled his eyes before trying to push Dave's sprawled limbs to one side of the mattress. 

"Strider!" 

Dave snickered softly to himself, eyes shut as he didn't move a muscle, content. 

"La la la can't hear you I'm asleep." He faked snores and yawns, stretching out even further just to taunt the other boy. 

John groaned, all he wanted to do was lay down and now this Strider here was giving him a difficult time. 

"Daveeee. Daveeee, movvvveeee." He muttered, shaking the blond's arm frantically. John looked desperately around the room for something that'd get him to move.

"I will lay on you if you don't share, Strider!" Egbert, threatened trying to sound a bit more menacing.

Dave practically cackled and shrugged, grabbing the blankets and rolling away from him, becoming a blanket burrito on one end of the bed. "Okie dokie. Have fun." He snickered, holding tight. 

John sighed again, his body too tired to care at this point. The pale boy plopped on the springy mattress and John sunk into the warm, inviting, sheets.

"Fine. Hog the blankets... I'm too tired to care......" he mumbled to himself, happy that at least the heater was up and running. The blue human turned to face the burrito-boy lying next to him, his blue eyes scanning the other's face curiously.

Dave stared at him, body and face mostly hidden in the blankets. Damn. This was sooo warm and comfortable. Maybe he should just.... He flung one arm out and grabbed the heir by the wrist, then hauled him forward and dumped half the mass of blankets onto him, so both of them were huddled underneath.

"Better?"

John let out a startled squeak... it was soon repressed as a smile stretched across his face.

"Yes... much better. Thank you, Strider." He muttered, curling underneath the thick blankets. John hadn't really realised how cold the land was. Even though Alternia had been located way up in arctic waters... the water had almost felt, warm? Here, there was wind and storms and other new things that caused discomfort.

Dave grinned at the other mer, wrapped up cozily in what must've been at least three layers of soft, warm sheets. "Good." He mumbled, smiling to himself. "And it's Dave. Not Strider."

John raised an eyebrow, "What was that, Strider? I'm afraid I couldn't hear you..." he replied with a chuckle, squeezing his eyes shut. The lanky kid gently elbowed Dave in the chest... "Strider... you're going to have to speak up, if you want me to hear you!"

Dave groaned, looking over at him. "I /said/.." He paused, smiling, "call me Dave, not Strider. Or I'll call you Eggbutt." He smirked, chewing on his lip, intrigued.

John let out a light sigh, "Fine, fine...Dave it is. So, don't you dare call me that!" He replied, as he shot Dave a discriminating look. It quickly faded to a small frown. "Thanks, by the way... for saving me. If it wasn't for you, who knows if I would have escaped Beforus alive." John whispered softly, his blue eyes flicking up to meet Dave's brown ones.

Dave sighed, shrugging half heartedly. "Yeah, well... It's my duty to. I just wish I could've saved everyone else too." He murmured, breaking eye contact to instead glare at his human fingers, eyes narrowed. 

"You probably wouldn't understand. But a Knight is supposed to protect the weak and the noble. They're supposed to protect all. And all I did was think of myself."

John shook his head in disagreement. 

"You know that's not true... you did your best. Hey, even if you didn't save /everyone/ you at least saved /one/ mer. Me. And I'm not gonna lie, that seems good enough to me- figuring if you had stopped to save someone else, I would be dead. So... don't be too hard on yourself." He muttered softly, nudging the distressed boy. 

Egbert then turned away, burrowing into the sheets while trying to keep himself warm.

Dave frowned, glancing over at the other male a bit nervously, sighing. "I...-" he cut off and shook his head, looking away again. He cleared his throat of the odd lump that began to form, blinking wetness away from his eyes. Ugh. Not so professional now, huh Dave? He swallowed hard and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, sniffing quietly. 

"Yeah. Okay."

John yawned and snuggled deeper into the blankets.

"Dave... you're a good person. Don't blame yourself for what happened. Alright?" The young boy added, knowing that the Strider was probably upset about it. 

"I'm sure everything will work itself out, eventually."

Dave shrugged, feeling down. 

"Yeah yeah. Whatever. It's cool." 

He turned away and scooted further from the other boy, frowning. "It's all cool." He sighed and wrapped himself up in the blankets, eyes scrunched shut as he tried to just fall asleep without the images of warfare and death circling his mind.

John sighed, feeling the warmth that was Dave scoot farther away from him. Egbert closed his eyes- his heavy eyelids finally getting the best of him. As he felt himself drift off into the dream world- images of his father and friends, Alternia and Beforus, and all the destruction, flashed through his mind. 

'I won't be sleeping well, tonight...'

••••••••

"You always have to bring that up, Cronus...!" Kankri whispered angrily, stomping down the hall and into the living room. He whirled around to face the used-to-be-mer a slight smirk on his face despite his harsh words.

Cronus waggled his eyebrows, looking down at the shorter male in interest.

"What's the look for, chief? Somethin on your mind, Kan? You look awfully smug, ya know, for scoldin’ me like that. I'm hurt, Kan."

He sniggered and shook his head, throwing an arm over Kankri's shoulders. 

Kankri blushed slightly at the taller's provocative words. Even after all this time, he had /still/ not gotten used to the constant flirting and harassment that came with living with the Ampora.

"Oh shush, Cronus..." Kankri mumbled rolling his amber eyes. Kankri didn't shrug the boy's arm off his shoulders but instead smiled slightly to himself.

Cronus grinned, pecking Kankri's cheek gently, eyes gleaming happily. He sighed softly and pulled him close, ruffling Kankri's mussed hair, smiling to himself.

Kankri allowed Cronus to pull him closer, and he breached the remaining distance by wrapping his own arms around the male. 

"... Are you... okay?" 

The smaller boy asked, worried about Cronus and the news about his father's kingdom.

Cronus sighed, looking down at Kankri quietly, chewing on his lip.

"... Yeah. Nothin ever slips past you, huh?" He shrugged, looking up at the ceiling in thought. 

Kankri looked at the former mer, quite worried now. 

"Tell me... what is it that you are thinking?" He asked, his eyes searching the other's thoughtful expression. 

"Are you worried?" Kankri asked, finding himself slightly surprised at asking the daring question.

Cronus hesitated, clearing his throat a bit nervously. 

"Well, uh.." He bit his lip. "You see, I just... Yeah, Kan. I'm worried. As much as I hate it there, that was my home."

He sighed, looking down at his partner once more, this time his lips adorned with a soft, uneasy frown. 

Kankri was frowning as well, "I am truly sorry... I should not have brought up the subject. Forgive me..." he muttered, rubbing a circular pattern on Cronus's back. 

"I am sure your father and home are fine... Beforus is a strong kingdom- they will survive."

Cronus sighed, leaning down a bit to place a soft kiss on Kankri's forehead, frowning. 

"I know. Sorry for being such a downer, babe." He murmured, gently running his fingers through Kankri's brown hair. 

Kankri smiled lightly, "Cheer up... do you want me to make us some tea. Or would you prefer coffee?" He asked, questioningly- trying to lighten the mood and change the topic. The smaller mal leaned into his taller comrades stroking calmly, sighing. 

Cronus sighed happily, looking down at him sweetly. 

"Tea's fine, babe." He murmured, placing a soft kiss on Kankri's forehead. 

"I love you, you know that?" He smiled and tilted Kankri's head back, kissing him deeply. 

Kankri smiled slightly, about to move away after the forehead peck... until Cronus placed a full kiss on his lips. The fun-sized human returned the action- his hands resting on his lover's broad shoulders before breaking the kiss. 

"I love you, Cronus..."

Cronus grinned, cupping Kankri's cheek gently, eyes half lidded.

"I love you too, baby." He sighed happily, pulling the shorter boy to himself, hugging him tightly. 

Kankri returned the embrace, rubbing the other boy gently on the back. "You're very clingy today, Cronus." Kankri said with a chuckle, squeezing the former mer gently.

Cronus grinned, nuzzling Kankri's hair and taking a deep whiff, enjoying the scent of Kankri's most recent shampoo. Strawberry? Huh. 

"And you're very cute today, Kan." He murmured, smiling to himself.

Kankri looked up at Cronus and raised an eyebrow- as he pulled away. 

"Let me go put some water on the stove, so we can have some tea /eventually/." 

The short man scampered over to the kitchen where he drug out a tea kettle and filled it with water.

Cronus just laughed and waved, allowing his partner to scamper off to their small kitchen. 

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." He sighed and walked over to one of their sofas, reclining back on it, though nothing in his posture said 'relaxed'. Even with the lazy grin on his face, his body was rigid and stressed, eyes cast on his feet as he thought, Adam's apple bobbing on his throat. 

Kankri hummed as he worked, taking out two cups as well as two tea packets. He glanced behind him at Cronus- who seemed a little more stressed then he was letting on. 

"Chamomile it is, then..." Kankri whispered to himself, replacing the original packets with the new tea.

The kettle began to whistle and the small boy quickly plucked it off the stove and poured two cups of it. Letting the tea packets flavor the water as he carried them over to the coffee table- placing each cup on a coaster. 

"Cronus... stop your worrying, and have some tea. I can tell when you're stressed."

Cronus turned to look up at him, slightly jarred, obviously having not heard him coming. 

"O-Oh, Uh-" he frowned and cursed himself under his breath. "Uh, nah, babe. I'm all good. Heh. Just Uh.. Thinkin a little. You know? I ain't stressed or nothin." He shrugged, quickly grabbing the cup for a distraction, sipping it quietly. 

"It's all um.. It's all fine, Kanny." He mumbled, looking down at the floor.

Kankri frowned slightly, he wished he could make Cronus feel better... but he hadn't lived under the sea for most his life, and he hadn't had to deal with his entire kingdom being practically destroyed. Kankri took a tentative sip of his tea, the hot liquid feeling good. 

"I just want you to feel better..." he mumbled, turning to face his clearly distraught boyfriend. "Everything will get better in the future. I promise."

Cronus shrugged, not looking at Kankri once, his eyes locked on the floorboards below. "I wish." He murmured, cradling his cup near his face silently, steam warming his cheeks. "I really do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy I got a real awesome comment earlier and I was hoping I could get reviews?


	8. When Cronus is Himself, Kankri is Scared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't knowwwwwwwwe
> 
> TW: GAY FISH BOYS

Kankri was currently bustling about the kitchen trying to make an enough breakfast for four growing boys. The human placed a couple more sausages in the sizzling pan before him- smiling as he thought about the smiles he'd see later. For some reason, everyone in the household really liked sausage...?

(probs cause they're all gay)

Cronus had maybe sorta kinda totally slept in that morning, having had a lovely night with nice and possibly wet dreams about Kankri (woops), instead of the relentless nightmares that had haunted him throughout the month. It was definitely nice, having something good to dream of, for once. 

Although, now, he was blindly stumbling down the hall from his bedroom, smelling something delicious coming from the kitchen. 

"Aw, kannnnn. Why didn't you sleep in with meeeee?" He whined loudly, peering at Kankri from where he hovered in the kitchen entrance. 

"Baaaabe. Baaaaaaaabe. Kanny. Kannyyyyyy. Whatcha makinnnn?" 

Kankri sent a venomous look back at Cronus.

"Well. /Someone/ had to make breakfast.... and since John had disappeared and Dave and you were sleeping like rocks. It was left up to  
/me/." 

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "It is sausage, eggs, toast, and waffles by the way." He muttered softly, continuing to cook.

Cronus snorted, walking over to him to hug the short boy from behind, smug. And just because, he'd relented to put on any clothes other than his underwear. So, when he bumped his hips against Kankri's sweet booty, you could take it as(s) a little more than playful. 

"Mm yeah. I get it. I was just hopin’ we coulda had a little fun this mornin’, you know?" He drawled, repeating the playful motion once more. 

Kankri glanced behind him at the taller male, his cheeks heating up. 

"My, Cronus... could you be any more open?" He murmured, his eyes flitting around the kitchen... stuff like this /still/ got to him. Even after all the time they had been together. Kankri wouldn't admit it to Cronus, but the movements he was making were actually kinda turning him on. 

"Cronus..."

Cronus only smirked, pecking his cheek as he simply did it again. And maybe even a fourth time.

"Yeah babe? Somethin’ botherin’ youuuu?" He chuckled, wrapping his arms around Kankri's waist to hold him still. "Mm. You hot an bothered yet?"

Kankri shivered, he had to admit he was getting a little flustered. 

"You know exactly how this is making me feel, Cronus...." he muttered, answering the former question. He turned off the stove moving the now done sausages to the side. 

Cronus smirked, rolling his hips once or twice playfully, snickering softly. 

"Yeah baby? Then how bout you an me, in the bedroom, right now. Whaddya say?" He chuckled, kissing his cheek. 

Kankri glanced over at the already cooked breakfast. "I suppose... the boys could just help themselves," he suggested. Shivering again, as Cronus's more erect privates brushed against his backside for the millionth time.

"Come on let us go..." Kankri murmured, backing away from Cronus and leading the way into their bedroom, only smiling slightly.

Cronus smirked, slinging an arm over Kankri's shoulders. "Sweeet~" he purred, closing and locking the door behind them once they had entered the room, getting straight to business. 

••••••••

It had been about a month of living on land, for John and Dave.  
The raven-haired boy had grown quite used to windy and strange environment. That didn't mean he didn't miss his aquatic home- in fact, he was currently walking the length of the beach longing to go back home. 

It was about 6:30 in the morning and you could just see the sun peaking over the ocean, which was one of his favorite things about the land. Sun sets and sun rises... something he'd never gotten to see before. John let out a sigh, a lot of things had changed.  
One, he was now used to his awkward body.  
Two, he and Dave had gotten a lot closer.  
Three, he realised that human were actually pretty nice creatures.

Dave had learned a lot about the world above the surface. And yes, it really was quite beautiful and nice, but.. He still couldn't help the pangs of guilt and loss that occurred much too frequently. It really did hurt, knowing that just about everyone he knew was.. Just.. 

Gone. 

However, he'd managed to distract himself. And that lovely distraction would be known as John Egbert. Now mind you, he wasn't JUST a silly distraction to keep Dave's mind off worse things. In fact, the boy had actually grown on him, and now they were almost inseparable.

John let the ocean lap at his bare feet, and was quite distressed to realise it was /freezing/. This had never happened before- the ocean had always felt better then being on land but right now it just felt uncomfortable. John blinked a few times, before turning and sprinting back to the house; sand sticking to his feet.

'What a nuisance..' 

He slammed open the front door while vigorously wiping his feet on the welcome mat. Sending a wave to the two older boys in the kitchen, he booked it back to Dave’s and his room. He opened it slowly, noting the calm and even breathing of his dear friend- as he continued to sleep.

Dave was passed out in his bed, wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets and sheets and wow was that a pillow in there too? His blond hair was a mess and his posture was odd, but his expression gave the look of one at peace. He snored very, very softly in his sleep, curled up in a fetal position. "Mm.."

John rolled his eyes at the mere sight of Dave. He could be so dramatic at times, and it was especially funny because he right now he was sleeping - and not even trying to be dramatic but here he was... 

Egbert made his way around the bed to Dave's side and poked him on the cheek. 

"Hey, wake up, Davey... the sun is up!" He muttered, smiling a little at the expression on the boy's face. Almost a pity to wake him. Almost.

Dave groaned rather loudly when he felt someone messing with him, eyes cracking open to glare at the first thing in sight.

"Go awayyyyyy. It's too early." He scoffed and flipped over, throwing blankets over his head.

John sighed, "Davvveeeee. Get up!" He yelled, grabbing the boy's blankets and trying to pry them off his body. Egbert ended up falling back onto his butt- empty handed. 

"Jeez... you're not making this any easier. " he muttered to the sleeping form. John stood up and began to shake Dave's arms and body. 

"WAKE UP."

Dave groaned again, pushing his hand out to give John the finger, disturbed. "Leave me aloneeeee!" He pulled the blankets down and glared at John, eyes narrowed and tired. "I wanna sleep."

John huffed, "Dave! Get your lazy butt out of bed! Anyways, I think breakfast is ready. I can smell sausage!" He whined, making weird gestures towards the door without breaking eye contact with Dave. After a few minutes John tried to drag the boy by his arm. 

"Why.... don't... you... budge...??!" 

Dave paused, then his eyes narrowed and he growled deeply at the other boy, starting to get up. He huffed and pounded one fist on the mattress, about to speak, when suddenly he was underwater, in his underwear, in human form. His eyes went wide, seeing... Oh my god!! He was watching himself at the station he guarded!!! He frowned and blinked, holding his breath silently, when suddenly he saw... Woah. He saw John creeping up and darting behind a bunch of coral, watching.. Himself. Wait a second. This had all happened a month ago!!! How was he back in time?!?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha wtf am I doing


	9. Upd8 Info

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a Chapter!! This is an upd8 of info for new stories and this one.

Alright.

So, it's been painfully evident that I haven't been working on this specific work in, say, five months now?

Due to its basis on a roleplay, it's been difficult to continue as the roleplay was not completed and, you know, things pass along.

However!

With this news I bring to light a new opportunity for any readers who may have been waiting, or have just found this.

At some point in the future I plan on rewriting this to be more organized and finish it as a story.

Meanwhile, I've been creating a separate story, which will be posted as "Washed Ahore", once it is published. This is another Merstuck story, however it contains not Homestuck (canon) characters, but my own ocs. I think it would be good for me to be able to write a (hopefully) fully finished story with my own original characters. It would be great practice for the future. 

So stay tuned, if you're even here! 

New stories awaiting- along with a new version of this sooner or later! :)

{Also- To all the Homestuck Fans out there, it has come to my attention two days ago that the wonderful webcomic has officially ended. This is extremely saddening, but I hope I'm not the only one who will stay in the fandom.}

-AG


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